NOW Internet
 

Anyone using NOW Internet from Xfinity? Opinions?

I never thought I would see the day where we have Pre-Paid internet service! Yikes.

So, this service runs over Xfinity cable and the prices are not that great. For $35/month you can get Quantum fiber 1Gbs speed, no contract. But if you have bad credit, or any other financial issues, NOW may be a way to get internet service without all the background checking.

30/month is what was offered me, and prepared monthly by Visa, same payment structure as my present Xfinity.

Never heard of it but it looks like it could be good for some users.

• - 100Mb is likely all that most people need and 200Mb is an option.
• - If there is truly no connection fee and no demand to return the modem then this could be good for those that want to save money by stopping service when they are away from home
• - Faster plans at a similar price may be available if the particular service is in your area (this NOW plan requires Xfinity in your area)
• - This could be a way for Xfinity to get a foot in your door and then hit you with a lot of upgrade opportunities (streaming service, mobile service, cable service, faster internet, etc)

May be too slow
 

I use Xfinity internet and their "cable" service. I was not familiar with "NOW" so I went and looked at the speed and the maximum listed was 200mps. Depending upon what you use internet for, this may not be fast enough - especially for streaming. I am getting much faster internet through the cable bundle at a price that is not much more.

According to this page and others, 4K UHD streaming requires 15Mbps - 50Mbps. A 100Mbps service should be more than adequate to stream to a single television. I never had a problem with a 50Mbps service.

Neither have we, 50 MBP with 2 UHD TV’s. Stream simultaneously on both TV’s.

It’s not the speed, it’s the latency, and the data caps that might be bad. Unless you get the high speed internet, there are data caps and if you go over them, it’s like another $25 per GB, each company has its own terms. When you start streaming a tv show/movie, do you want it to start right away or do you want to go start dinner while it’s buffering?
I always get the fastest internet speeds with no capped data, faster upload speeds, and no latencies. I get 1200Mb for $39 a month. Xfinity wasn’t as good as spectrum, too many issues, support wasn’t very educated, and they added on router charges on top of internet service.

T-Mobile 5G - no caps
Xfinity internet - 1TB cap (never reached it)
Xfinity NOW - advertises no caps

50Mbps - rare instances of buffering appear related to streaming software - resetting device resolves the issue
3000Mbps - rare instances of buffering appear related to streaming software - resetting device resolves the issue

T-Mobile 5G - no router charges
Xfinity NOW - appears to advertise no gateway/modem/router/wifi charges

No - I am not using but thanks for asking.

We just had Xfinity NOW for the month we stayed here in our house. Great solution to the problem of having WIFI and TV streaming short term. I set it up 3 days before and box with remote and router was at our doorstep on our arrival. We paid 30$ for the month.
Often had 2 Fire tablets browsing with TV on and everything worked. For Netflix film had to stop using other devices for good speed and resolution. Happy we discovered it.

Wish we had access to Quantum fiber. Our only options are Spectrum, Xfinity, or wireless. Very happy to hear about the competition of wireless options forcing cable companies to come up with lower price options.

Xfinity seasonal
 

Does Xfinity have a seasonal plan where you keep the Internet on at a low speed to keep your smart devices working?

Great idea! I don’t know if they do, but I like your thinking.

Quantum Fiber is the only way to go....!!

This service was introduced by Xfinity to compete with wireless internet from T-Mobile and Verizon. There is a very good Youtube video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARDIlJxMSPI Just a note, the narrator talks about how well you can stream with several devices. What he doesn't explain is when streaming, your device downloads chuncks of data periodically and plays them. There is no contunuous downloading of data by your devices which is how he was able to run a speed test while streaming and getting full speed.

For what they give you, a referbished modem/router and 100 or 200 Mbs download speeds and 10-20 Mbs upload speeds, it's not a very good deal. If you decide to not stay with the service they don't want the equipment back. These plans are for people needing very basic internet.

What you need to realize is, cable companies are "taking a beating". Their disconnect rate is out of control so they are looking for all kinds of ways to retain customers and this is one of them.

That said, If you can get fiber internet, either Quantum or Centric here in the Villages, that's the way to go. No research needed. If you can't get fiber, Spectrum seems to have the best plans since there is no data cap and they are reliable and their customer service is as good as it's going to get. If you live near a cell tower and need very basic internet, wireless may be the way to go but you will have to try it at your specific home to see if it will work there.

The video seemed to draw a more positive conclusion than your comment that it is not a very good deal.

I pay $30 for 300Mbps with T-Mobile 5G but I'm fortunate to be in a good cell area and that rate is a discount due to my also having T-Mobile phone service.

I would like to research the pricing for Quantum or Spectrum before simply signing up. An all-inclusive $30 is very attractive. Quantum and Spectrum plans both cost more and while you get more bandwidth, it is a waste of money to pay for something you don't use.

Availability matters, of course, but that includes the NOW service. If you don't have an Xfinity cable line attached to your home then the NOW service will not work but I haven't seen any discussion of how that is handled.

What I meant about the NOW service not being a very good deal is you can get way more bandwidth from Quantum or Centric Fiber or Spectrum for the same price. Right now you can get Quantum Fiber 1GBs service for $35/month, no contract and includes wifi mesh network equipment. But as you said, not everyone needs that much bandwidth which is why these wireless and fiber solutions are catching on and taking even more customers away from the cable companies.

As far as discounts, here is a real life example. Several of my neighbors were on Quantum fiber, I think $50/month for 500Mbs. More than enough for most Villagers. Spectrum came around an offered a "deal" to these customers for $29.99 for 500Mbs but it was only for 1 year. Now the year is up and Spectrum will not offer another "deal" so they are going back to Quantum Fiber for $35/month. What Spectrum was hoping for was these customers would forget when their "deal" ended and charge them full price for a while recouping most of the discount they offered.

Fair enough.

I noticed the Spectrum pricing was for the first year but that didn't surprise me at all. I was happier with the way the Quantum and NOW prices were presented.

Quantum advertises the $35 price for life but then makes a comment about equipment, taxes, and fees. With my T-Mobile I pay $30 plus $2.98 in State taxes and fees. Are there taxes and fees on top of the $35 for Quantum?

I like the portability of the 5G internet but the Quantum offer is very attractive if I ever need to switch.

Be aware that many areas of TV can not get Quantum, Centric etc...it is only in the northern areas.

There are no taxes and fees with Quantum. Your bill will be $35 and that's it.

Quantum is mainly in the North all the way down to Rt.44 and also in Fenney. Then there is no fiber until you get to the newer sections where you can get Centric. In fact, the new homes have Centric Fiber installed with the Router and wifi when it's built.